Eschalon series is a turn-based role-playing game series with astounding graphics and sound. Unfortunately gameplay is a bit slow, even for an ultima-like game. Doing almost anything in this game is fun but one thing: Walking. And there's a lot of walking. Walking through forests, walking through beaches, walking through deserts... and even more walking. The game has interesting dungeons and towns, filled with many secrets and details, unfortunately other locations are there just to be walked through. That is why I would rate this game as decent: It's a very enjoyable RPG, except for tedious walking through wilderness.

Finishing this game took me 34 hours. Was that good time? Definitely yes, I spent a great time with that. But that doesn't mean that every player will like it as I do. First of all, you must be real RPG fan, and what is most important, you must be old-school gamer. Because this game is true old-school RPG with very poor animations and weak graphics (as for today). But if you're ok with that, you will like it. It has good story, turn based combat and high difficulty level.

VERDICT:If you're old-school RPG fan, this is what you need.If you're modern RPG fan but you want to try something classic, this is good choice.If you're not a fan either of RPG and old-school, you shouldn't even read this, that might harm you.

“Aha! A back entrance to the infamous dark tower! And better yet, the door appears to be slightly ajar as if it were not properly closed the last time someone used it. It seems this is my lucky day. Riches here I come!”

Eschalon: Book 1 represents a classic RPG experience with a turn-based combat system and great love for detail. In addition it provides a decent character development system and well-done soundtrack for the depicted locations.

The only shortcoming of this game is the relatively slow-paced gameplay.

Fun fact: The developers of the Eschalon series kept this project a secret for a long time, believing most game developers release too much information about their products, spoiling the game when you eventually play it.--

My rating system consists of six categories in descending order of importance:

If the S-Rank is awarded, a quote from the game or personal comment will be added as a token of my respect (in brackets).--

Atmosphere: A-Rank

Characters: A-Rank

Details: S-Rank

(As you fall to the ground, you suddenly feel your very essence ripped from the shell of your body. In an instance you find yourself standing on the precipice of eternity, an incoherent wailing emanating from the abyss below. You smile as you tumble forward into the black chasm.)

Tactical gameplay: B-Rank

Story: B-Rank

Combat & Controls: B-Rank --

While there are no achievements to conquer, a very useful guide can be found on the link below.

In a nutshell, Eschalon is a standard 2D single-character fantasy western RPG. ("western RPG" here means "opposite of JRPG")

Eschalon is solid. It's not exemplary, it's not bad. It's the kind of game that would metascore in the 70-75 bracket, filled with games that are worth your time if you're a fan of the genre.

The story is cliche; save the world by finding the macguffins and slaying the big bad. That doesn't necessarily make it bad. It's not memorable, but it works.

For the most part, combat in Eschalon is a game of numbers and dice. I played a magick user, and for the first half of the game, all I had was a basic single-target spell. The outcome of a battle essentially boiled down to how many times I could cast it with what mana I had, how many turns it took the enemy to close to attack range (which is melee for most enemies), and how many hits both of us could survive. Later on, I got a few area-effect spells, which added a small layer of strategy, though numbers and dice were still the dominant factor.

The first half of the game was extremely tedious as a magick user. Mana regen is very slow to start, though you can build for quick regen after a few level ups if you eschew everything else. There is a rest function that causes time to pass more quickly, but it can still take as long as a minute to fill back up. Health regen works the same way, and I have to imagine it's just as tedious for melee-centered characters.

Basically, playing Eschalon Book 1 felt like playing a much, MUCH smaller Elder Scrolls game. That's just me though; your mileage may (and probably will) vary.

THE VERDICT: Eschalon is a solid RPG that will entertain an RPG fan for about 20 hours. It's not the best game out there, but it's not the worst either.